Risk of Being Bitten by a Dog Is Higher on Hot, Sunny Days: Study

• A new study from Harvard examined almost 70,000 reports of dogs biting people in the United States.
• The research study revealed that occurrences of dogs biting people increased in line with increasing temperature levels.
• It likewise increased with greater UV levels and on days when particular kinds of contamination were high.

Dogs can be more aggressive on hot, bright, and smoggy days, according to a new study that examined almost 70,000 United States reports of dogs biting people.

The records were sourced in 8 United States cities — Dallas, Houston, Baltimore, Baton Rouge, ChicagoLouisville, New York City, and Los Angeles — between the years 2009 and 2018, and cross-checked with data on pollution and weather over that same period.

The research, led by Harvard Medical School scholars, found there were more reports of dog bites on days with higher temperatures, as well as days with higher UV and pollution levels.

On days with higher UV, dog bites increased by 11%, and higher temperatures caused a 4% increase. Higher ozone, a common pollutant, was responsible for a 3% rise in dog bites.

The researchers drew the conclusion that “the societal burden of extreme heat and air pollution also includes the costs of animal aggression.”

Conversely, the researchers found there was no change when dogs were exposed to increased levels of PM2.5, another type of polluting particle that was measured.

The findings corroborate other research linking aggressive behavior in animals and humans with environmental factors.

A 2019 study on the impact of short-term direct exposure to air contamination on aggressive habits in the United States recommended that a policy that lowers air contamination throughout the United States by just 10% might lead to as much as $1 billion of cost savings in criminal offense expenses by minimizing attacks.

The research study had numerous constraints, and it’s uncertain if the outcomes likewise related to the method people respond around dogs in heat.

It just examined serious dog bites and left out all mishaps that didn’t needed medical treatment or hospitalization.

It likewise didn’t represent other prospective figuring out aspects, like “breed, sex, castration/spaying status.” The research study likewise didn’t resolve “bite intensity, victim age, gender, familiarity with dog and the interactions leading up to the dog bite,” as this more particular info wasn’t consisted of in public records.